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You can now play DayZ for free using a web browser ... kind of. Mini DayZ, a fan-made tribute to Bohemia Interactive's zombie apocalypse survival game, has been posted to the publisher's website and is now free to play via Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Opera. It's missing a few features - namely 3D graphics and multiplayer - but if you ever wondered to yourself, 'What if we gave DayZ a top-down camera and retro graphics," now is your chance to find out.

Mini DayZ is the work of CannedBits, a Russian player of Dean "Rocket" Hall's DayZ (which, in case you need a history primer, is a standalone game that began life as a mod for Arma 2 and arguably boosted the multiplayer survival genre into prominence). In posting the news about the game's availability via Bohemia to Reddit, CannedBits even caught the attention of Hall himself:

"I have to say, I absolutely love Mini DayZ," Hall wrote. "I think it's awesome, amazing, addictive, and brings something really new to the experience. I'm so glad you've been able to make it even better! Ignore the haters, the vast majority of people think it's fantastic and I am one of those people."

The Brothers Rapture is an upcoming short film put together by a group of Vancouver film students with a bit of Indiegogo funding, and this teaser should give you an idea of what it has in store. Plasmids, audio diaries, and the philosophical battle between art and commerce, oh my!

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Bioshockfanfanfilmfanmadefilmindiegogoshortthe-brothersthe-brothers-raptureThu, 09 May 2013 02:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/12/barkley-shut-up-and-jam-sequel-heading-to-kickstarter/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/12/barkley-shut-up-and-jam-sequel-heading-to-kickstarter/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/12/barkley-shut-up-and-jam-sequel-heading-to-kickstarter/#commentsWe get a new Call of Duty game every year, but how often do we get a continuation of 1994's Barkley Shut Up and Jam!? Indie dev Tales of Game's Studios is trying to up that frequency with a soon-to-be-announced Kickstarter for (deep breath) The Magical Realms of Tír na nÓg: Escape from Necron 7 - Revenge of Cuchulainn: The Official Game of the Movie - Chapter 2 of the Hoopz Barkley SaGa.

Tales of Game's is responsible for Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden, the 2008 fanmade RPG parody of the original SNES basketball game. The studio says it will be aiming to secure funding for the story of "X114JAM9, an amnesiac baller with no recollection of his past and no concept of his incredible b-ball destiny." Players will explore a non-linear world and find out if they "have the courage, vigor and sagacity to slam with the best." Probably?

The Kickstarter is set to go live later this month, and Tales of Game's promises more information on its Twitter account soon. We hope Charles Barkley is involved in this silliness, if only so we can see someone explaining the whole thing to him.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>action-rpgballerzbarkley-shut-up-and-jam-gaidenfanmadepcrpgspinofftales-of-games-studioMon, 12 Nov 2012 20:10:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/10/fanmade-mod-combines-sins-of-a-solar-empire-chocolate-with-mass/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/10/fanmade-mod-combines-sins-of-a-solar-empire-chocolate-with-mass/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/10/fanmade-mod-combines-sins-of-a-solar-empire-chocolate-with-mass/#commentsSins of a Solar Empire is an award-winning RTS space battle game, and Mass Effect is an epic action RPG universe with enough lore to fill a library. What happens when you smash the two together in the particle accelerator chamber that is a fan-created mod? You get Mass Effect: Dawn of the Reapers, a full conversion for Sins that lets you command ships like the Normandy against various Mass Effect-inspired units, including those of the Geth, Volus, and Cerberus' ships as well.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biowarediplomacyfanmademass-effectmass-effect-3modpcrebellionsinssins-of-a-solar-empiresins-of-a-solar-empire-rebellionstardockuser-contentWed, 10 Oct 2012 14:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/18/fallout-nuka-break-wants-to-film-season-two/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/18/fallout-nuka-break-wants-to-film-season-two/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/18/fallout-nuka-break-wants-to-film-season-two/#commentsAfter Wayside Creations launched its Fallout fan film in January 2011, it filmed one (excellent) season of Fallout: Nuka Break in a webseries with $30,000 of funding. Now Wayside wants to start filming the second season, bigger, badder and better than the first, with $60,000 in funding. It doesn't have that money, but it's betting some of its fans do.

Fallout: Nuka Break has a Kickstarter running to raise the full $60,000 for its second season. Watch the video above for a brief rundown of what Nuka Break does and who will be involved, including Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth actor Doug Jones, who has a scotch-based cameo in the Kickstarter video itself. Nuka Break has 59 days left to raise its money, but if you're still not convinced check out Wayside's previous episodes, beginning right here.

Here's a stark look into the wartorn lives of a group of marines and ODSTs during the events of the first Halo title, as lovingly recreated by a group of fans. The prologue reel for Halo: The Fallen, viewable above, has a wizened veteran relive the first battle with the Covenant on Reach, complete with professional-quality CGI Elites, Grunts, plasma rifles and bullets.

The Halo: The Fallen prologue film is not-for-profit and was made with $200 to showcase the creators' talents, the YouTube description reads. If we could pay people in our own humble respect, these guys would be millionaires.

Update: This post originally credited the Halo: Helljumper folks as having created the above piece of video, which is inaccurate. It also referred to "Elites" as "Arbiters," which, frankly, we find inexcusable. Those responsible in the Department of Halo Alien Class References have been summarily sacked.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Call-of-Dutycall-of-duty-modern-warfare-3fanmademodern-warfare-3Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/04/fan-remake-of-command-and-conquer-renegade-nearing-completion/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/04/fan-remake-of-command-and-conquer-renegade-nearing-completion/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/04/fan-remake-of-command-and-conquer-renegade-nearing-completion/#comments
Remember Command & Conquer: Renegade, the first-person shooter set in the C&C universe that came out back in 2002? One group of fans apparently remembers it so fondly that they're remaking the title as a game called Renegade X, going so far as to not only recreate settings and levels from the title in a more modern graphics engine, but also create new content for the mix of real-time strategy and FPS action gameplay.

The fanmade game actually looks like it's coming along well, and there's a version available for download right now (though it requires an updated copy of Unreal Tournament 3 to play). The full final game won't be out until "when its [sic] done" according to the video above, but hopefully that will be right on schedule. We wouldn't want these guys to have to remake the infamous "Havoc takes on Westwood" video, too, for releasing as late as the original team.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beyond-black-dawncommand-and-conquercommand-and-conquer-tiberian-dawnfanmademodpcrenegade-xrenegade-x-beyond-black-dawnunreal-engine-3unreal-tournament-3westwood-studiosTue, 04 Oct 2011 10:58:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/26/fanmade-golden-axe-myth-available-to-download-for-now/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/26/fanmade-golden-axe-myth-available-to-download-for-now/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/26/fanmade-golden-axe-myth-available-to-download-for-now/#comments
A fan-created Golden Axe game called "Golden Axe Myth" is now available for download on PC. In development since 2007, Myth has been designed as prequel to the arcade/Genesis game, and features all-new graphics, music and levels, and even a downloadable artbook and soundtrack. And it all looks great! So why is it that we're feeling so sad on this otherwise happy occasion?

It's basically a total bummer to be reminded of Sega's takedown of Streets of Rage Remake just two weeks ago. Presuming that Myth will fall to the same fate, we're already feeling sad about the (future) ending of this fan creation. But that's all the more reason for you to download Golden Axe Myth while you can.

And to future fan-game developers: Just make a couple of changes! Call it "Platinum Halberd" and give the dwarf blue hair or something. It doesn't have to end in tragedy!

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fan-gamefanmadegolden-axegolden-axe-mythpcsegaTue, 26 Apr 2011 15:33:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/29/watch-these-impressive-silent-hill-and-dragon-age-fan-film-trail/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/29/watch-these-impressive-silent-hill-and-dragon-age-fan-film-trail/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/29/watch-these-impressive-silent-hill-and-dragon-age-fan-film-trail/#comments
It might seem strange to pair Silent Hill and Dragon Age fan film trailers in one post, but they just happen to share the same director, Leo Kei Angelos. Both projects are planned for release as complete short films later this year, and they already look impressive.

In fact, if the super, super creepy trailer is any indication, the Silent Hill inspired film, The Confined, just might turn out better than its full-length cinematic counterpart. Check out both trailers after the break.

Project lead Frederik "Fresch" Schreiber has received a non-commercial license to proceed with Duke Nukem: Next-Gen, his Unreal Engine 3-powered Duke Nukem 3D remake. Fresch secured the license in just under three weeks after his first announcement -- a credit to rights holder Gearbox's openness to share the franchise with the community -- and has aleady assembled a team of nine other contributors (though he is still "hiring" for a number of positions).

Fresch, who abandoned similar "next-gen" remakes of Daikatana (too unpopular) and SIN (shut down by MumboJumbo), has plans to release a public multiplayer demo of Duke Nukem: Next-Gen "sooner than you think." Of course, the full version will be released "when it's done" -- and he notes that "Duke Nukem: Next-Gen" is, wisely, just a codename.

When devoted fans of a video game franchise have a story to tell within the confines of the franchise's universe, they usually turn to written fanfic. The team at CNCLabs had a different idea: Why not turn their story, inspired by a group of soldiers encountered in Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun Firestorm -- then never heard from again -- into a fully realized video game? After three years in development, their lofty goal was met, resulting in the release of Command and Conquer 3: The Forgotten.

Our personal favorite aspect of the fan-made expansion? True to the series, it's got live-action cutscenes. Sure, they might lack appearances by old, old, old wrestlers, but we'll be damned if they don't have heart. You can check out a trailer for the fan game after the jump, or download it on The Forgotten's official site.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cnclabsCommand-and-Conquer-3Command-and-Conquer-3-Tiberium-Warsea-tiburonfanfanmademodpcThu, 23 Sep 2010 15:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2010/09/20/bioshock-infinite-columbia-in-minecraft/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/09/20/bioshock-infinite-columbia-in-minecraft/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/09/20/bioshock-infinite-columbia-in-minecraft/#comments
A team of crafters led by one "DrKamina" has pieced together BioShock Infinite's floating city, Columbia, in the suddenly popular indie creation game Minecraft. The 3D model incorporates design elements adapted form screenshots and concept art, video and, of course, sheer imagination.

The group's vision of Columbia is housed on DrKamina's "City of Rapture" server, which is also home to adorable recreations of BioShock's underwater utopia and Half-Life 2's City 17 and Black Mesa. Visitors be warned: Kamina and company run a tight server, as evidenced by the prominent graveyard for the banned. RIP Snifflles, Errorz and Deerman -- we hardly knew ye!

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bioshock-infinitedrkaminafanmadejavamicrosoftminecraftpcplaystationps3xboxMon, 20 Sep 2010 10:15:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2010/09/17/pac-man-micro-machines-air-hockey-created-in-littlebigplanet-2/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/09/17/pac-man-micro-machines-air-hockey-created-in-littlebigplanet-2/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/09/17/pac-man-micro-machines-air-hockey-created-in-littlebigplanet-2/#comments
We have no earthly way of knowing who YouTube user TheFinalBurst is, but we're pretty sure the mystery creator's series of videos from the LittleBigPlanet 2 beta could serve as more effective marketing for the game than any ad campaign Sony could put together. Over the past week, TheFinalBurst's managed to create some mind-bogglingly intricate games using LBP 2's tool set -- games like Pac-Man, Micro Machines, an air hockey mini-game and even a first-person shooter, which we're still trying to wrap our heads around.

Check out a few of our favorite selections after the jump, or visit TheFinalBurst's YouTube page to check out all of this homebrew designer's brilliant creations. Those beta invites can't arrive soon enough.

Update: A few of our commenters have pointed out that TheFinalBurst wasn't the author of all of the levels posted in his YouTube channel. We apologize to the original creators for not giving credit where credit was due.

Valve's latest featured fan campaign for the PC version of Left 4 Dead 2 should be instantly familiar to anyone who's enjoyed the developer's seminal Half-Life series. The five-chapter campaign is set on the streets of Half-Life 2's police-state metropolis, City 17, where the oppressed citizens have been replaced by zombies, and the totalitarian Combine have been replaced by zombies, and ... yeah, just about everyone's been replaced by zombies there.

As with all its featured community levels, Valve's temporarily hosting servers running the City 17 campaign. If you feel up for a romp through your ol' crowbaring grounds, you should take advantage of this delightful opportunity.

It's our sincere hope that if the Super Mario Bros. ever actually did show up in our world, they wouldn't look anything like Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo -- instead, we'd really prefer they look something like what you see above: Two papercraft statues put together by DeviantArt-ist TouchFuzzyGetDizzy. Definitely click the Source link below to see these guys as big as possible. The actual statues are 40 and 50 centimeters tall, and with the detail on them, you're probably looking at quite a bit of paper.

If you want to try cutting, folding, and pasting them together yourself, you're welcome to -- the creator has uploaded patterns of each, though he warns that there are no instructions to go along with them yet. Elsewhere in his gallery, you can see more angles of Luigi, as well as models of Aryll and Salvatore from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. Very cool. The best thing we ever made with paper? The football from ... er ... Tecmo Bowl.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fanmadelegend-of-zeldaluigimarionintendopaperpapercraftsuper-mario-brostouchfuzzygetdizzywiiTue, 13 Jul 2010 08:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/23/xbox-360-and-rhinestones-how-can-this-go-wrong/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/23/xbox-360-and-rhinestones-how-can-this-go-wrong/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/23/xbox-360-and-rhinestones-how-can-this-go-wrong/#comments
Stop us if you've heard this before: You get home, stare at your Xbox 360 console and, through the corner of your eye, spot your sister's Bedazzler and think, "Yes. Yes, I can." Apparently that's what happened with deviantART user ricepuppet when creating the above piece of work for "a client." Don't get us wrong, we dig the paint job, but the faux gems look completely out of place. Somewhere, a little girl's jean jacket sits cold and alone without the word "Princess" strung across the back in precious rhinestones (for the sake of this joke, pretend it's 1987).

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>deviantartfanmademodrhinestonesstrangexbox-360Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:15:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/21/link-the-later-and-depressing-years/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/21/link-the-later-and-depressing-years/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/21/link-the-later-and-depressing-years/#comments
If you've ever wondered what Link's life would be if he were real (and a pathetic middle-aged man), you may enjoy Link, the later years (watch it after the break). If you're a fan of uproarious laughter and entertainment, you won't be a fan of Link, the later years. It has its moments, but Link's pathetic (and monotone) state drags on as a nearly six-and-a-half minute bummer. Seriously, we're so depressed about it we're going to go polish off a whole tub of Chunky Monkey.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>depressingfanmadefunnylegend-of-zeldalinklink-the-later-yearsthe-legend-of-zeldavideoTue, 21 Jul 2009 16:15:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/25/those-ears-totally-look-fake-a-collection-of-zelda-cosplay/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/25/those-ears-totally-look-fake-a-collection-of-zelda-cosplay/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/25/those-ears-totally-look-fake-a-collection-of-zelda-cosplay/#comments
Turkish website Nintendocu.com has a gallery of fantastic Legend of Zelda cosplay compiled from various photography websites and gaming events. The primary character in action is Princess Zelda herself, with cameo appearances from Link. In one of the images (above) Zelda and Link can be seen locking lips, which we're pretty sure jumps the shark from "dress playing" lore to "blue" fan fiction. It's especially "blue" if you've got a thing for plastic ears.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cosplayfanmadelegend-of-zeldalinkthe-legend-of-zeldazeldaThu, 25 Jun 2009 18:15:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/22/deconstructing-street-fighter-ii/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/22/deconstructing-street-fighter-ii/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/22/deconstructing-street-fighter-ii/#comments
Capcom's marketing machine sure did a number on us. If you need proof, just look at how terrible Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix looks in this video (after the jump)! Wasn't it supposed to be über sexy? Oh, wait. We've just been informed that this isn't HD Remix, but a deconstruction of the SNES version of Street Fighter II. Our collective bad.

Using various programs -- including one horrendously named "Tile Molester" -- Rom hacker/bender Dylan Hayes has reduced SFII to nothing more than hit boxes, a few birdies and one giant fish. By breaking the classic down, Hayes shows off the game in its most basic -- yet, still completely playable -- form.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bendingdylan-hayesfanmaderom-hackingromsstreet-fighter-2street-fighter-iiFri, 22 May 2009 06:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/19/gorgeous-mirrors-edge-inspired-photo-set-leaps-into-view/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/19/gorgeous-mirrors-edge-inspired-photo-set-leaps-into-view/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/19/gorgeous-mirrors-edge-inspired-photo-set-leaps-into-view/#commentsSavage Land Pictures have revealed a gorgeous photo set inspired by the 2008 Electronic Arts action title, Mirror's Edge. The shoot, which Savage Land Pictures notes took months to plan, includes sixteen images of a model dressed as Faith traversing rooftops and interacting with armor-clad enemies. The set isn't completely realistic however, as "Faith" is shown holding a pistol and the image doesn't completely break... like the game did when she picked up a weapon. Just kidding, kinda.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>artisticfan-madefanmadeflickrmirrors-edgephotographyTue, 19 May 2009 02:02:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/18/fan-brings-links-awakening-into-the-world-of-3d/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/18/fan-brings-links-awakening-into-the-world-of-3d/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/18/fan-brings-links-awakening-into-the-world-of-3d/#comments
With the power of 3DsMax8 in hand, a Nintendo fan going by the name of MithosKuu has decided to completely render the classic GameBoy title, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening in 3D. After revealing the first pieces of Koholint Island in September 2008, the 3D transformation is complete.

Using the freshly made 3D hunting ground, beta testing for the proof of concept zChicken Hunter Extreme (MegaUpload) has begun. MithosKuu is asking all users to play with the beta and report back to help fix issues with the environment ... unless you're a lawyer for Nintendo in which case there's nothing to see here and this has nothing to do with the Link's Awakening you're thinking of.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fanmadelinks-awakeningthe-legend-of-zelda-links-awakeningzchicken-hunter-extremezeldaWed, 18 Mar 2009 18:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/13/driven-to-boredom-mario-kart-the-office-supply-racer/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/13/driven-to-boredom-mario-kart-the-office-supply-racer/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/13/driven-to-boredom-mario-kart-the-office-supply-racer/#comments
Collector / creator Donald Kennedy sometimes gets taken over by boredom at work. While we tend to click around our favorite websites (all Joystiq related, of course) or update our Twitter status during those boring times, Donald decides to get creative. Example: This Mario Kart homage created from everyday office supplies. Donald also solidifies his Nintendo geek-cred with a beautifully designed Animal Crossing themed Qee, complete with a 2.5" figure of the diabolical Tom Nook. Way to get those creative juices flowing, Donald.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>boredomcreativityfanmademario-kartFri, 13 Mar 2009 14:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/26/joystiq-interview-harrison-krix-video-game-replica-designer/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/26/joystiq-interview-harrison-krix-video-game-replica-designer/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/26/joystiq-interview-harrison-krix-video-game-replica-designer/#comments
After wowing us with his Portal "gun" replica, Harrison Krix is at it again -- this time tackling the world of BioShock. His latest in-game item replica is the ADAM Syringe, used by the Little Sisters who roam the world of Rapture. We sat down with Harrison to discuss his work, reactions from video game companies and what he would build if money and time were no object.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adam-syringebioshockfanmadeharrison-krixinterviewportalportal-gunreplicaThu, 26 Feb 2009 19:01:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/12/killzone-2-ads-get-the-fanboy-touch/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/12/killzone-2-ads-get-the-fanboy-touch/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/12/killzone-2-ads-get-the-fanboy-touch/#comments
The Photoshop gurus that roam NeoGAF are at it again, this time creating mock-up adverts for Killzone 2. Unlike the poorly worded (and fake) Super Bowl ad, these are advertisements we can get behind. Unsurprisingly, some choppers decided to voice their opinions on reactions to some recent Killzone 2review coverage. According to these fans, the end message seems clear: Chill out, Killzone 2 is going to be rad.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>advertisementfanmadekillzone-2Thu, 12 Feb 2009 20:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/04/fan-made-street-fighter-iv-ads-are-too-cool-for-magazines/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/04/fan-made-street-fighter-iv-ads-are-too-cool-for-magazines/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/04/fan-made-street-fighter-iv-ads-are-too-cool-for-magazines/#commentsPutting their artistic talents to use, NeoGAF members have been hard at work creating fan-made Street Fighter IV magazine-style ads. Y'know, just in case Prince Capcom decides to swing by the forums and sweep one off its digital feet and into the magazines. Most (if not all) of the ad mock-ups are professionally crafted, with our favorites coming from the "What Are You Fighting IV?" series. You can view all the ads, including the not-so-good attempts, over on the GAF forums.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fanmadefunnyleft-4-deadvalveThu, 29 Jan 2009 22:15:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/28/mash-up-project-sonic-mixes-halo-with-the-hedgehog/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/28/mash-up-project-sonic-mixes-halo-with-the-hedgehog/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/28/mash-up-project-sonic-mixes-halo-with-the-hedgehog/#comments
You like Halo ... and at least have a mild interest in Sonic related items, do you not? Well, Hawty McBloggy has you covered with this video that mashes classic Sonic tunes with Halo 3.

When the video began to make its way around the office, we all experienced the same things in the following order: 1) eye-roll at the idea of more Sonic; 2) mild interest due to Halo content; 3) half-smile when we heard the music; 4) embarrassment at how wrong our preconceptions were upon watching it all; 5) a strong desire to show it to everyone we knew. Welcome to the last step. Check it out after the jump. Tell your friends.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bungiefanmadefunnyhalohalo-3sonicWed, 28 Jan 2009 19:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/24/video-youve-got-your-rick-astley-in-my-gears/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/24/video-youve-got-your-rick-astley-in-my-gears/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/24/video-youve-got-your-rick-astley-in-my-gears/#comments
There's this little known internet meme the kids referred to as "Rickrolling." You may have heard of it in the past. All right, it's about as old as the internet is but that doesn't mean we can't have fun with it, right?! Well, the guys at Pixel Flix Studios have taken their love of Rick Astley and married it with their love of Gears of War 2 for a little mash-up they call "GearsRoll'd." Around the office we're calling it Gears of Roll'D. We don't want to ruin the surprise but all we can say is ... poor Baird and "it never ends."

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fanmadegears-of-rolledgears-of-war-2rick-rollrickrollWed, 24 Dec 2008 21:20:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/10/live-fanmade-concert-celebrates-halo-addiction/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/10/live-fanmade-concert-celebrates-halo-addiction/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/10/live-fanmade-concert-celebrates-halo-addiction/#comments
It wouldn't be a shock to hear that we love us some Halo 3 but our love (and/or obsession) doesn't come close to Bryan Simon. Known throughout the Halo community as the guy who sang himself into Recon armor, Bryan Simon is holding a special concert on December 11 where he will play through his entire catalog of Halo 3 related music. If you aren't familiar with Simon's work, think Flight of the Conchords if they were uncomfortably in love with Bungie.

Luckily, a fan-swag giveaway isn't necessary for this concert because tickets are free ... well, that is to say the entire concert will be streamed online via UStream. We like to imagine the entire event is taking place at Carnegie Hall but knowing his addiction, Dustin probably kidnapped Bryan and is making him play the songs from his basement. Bryan, if you can read this: Blink once if you're okay, twice is you want us to send in the cavalry.

Bryan Simon's Live Halo Love concert takes place online on December 11 at 7:00PM EST and you can also check out a rehearsal session tonight at 7:00PM EST at the same UStream link.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bryan-simonfanmadehalo-3Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/30/video-pulp-fortress-2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/30/video-pulp-fortress-2/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/30/video-pulp-fortress-2/#comments
What still ain't no country we ever heard of, and we're still trying to find out if they speak English in What. The creative guys at Bonesaw Productions have taken Team Fortress 2 and mashed it up with the classic Tarantino flick, Pulp Fiction. The scene on display here, reenacted using Team Fortress 2 assets, stars the voice talent of Samuel L. Jackson and Frank Whaley, who was in pretty much every movie made in the early-to-mid '90s. Also, it's a little NSFW for excessive use of the word, "What." You know, among other words.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fanmadepulp-fictionteam-fortress-2Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:15:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/16/fans-bring-halo-to-rpg-realm-with-browser-based-halo-crusades/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/16/fans-bring-halo-to-rpg-realm-with-browser-based-halo-crusades/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/16/fans-bring-halo-to-rpg-realm-with-browser-based-halo-crusades/#comments
If for some strange reason, Halo 3 isn't filling the dark void in your heart left open by Master Chief and his merry band of brothers--a fan made browser RPG could seal the deal. That is if a simple text-based RPG is what you think the franchise was missing. Halo Crusades is a fan made role-playing title that allows gamers to create and train a character and live out their life as either a Spartan or Elite. Based on simple browser titles, meaning entirely menu based, the game won't appeal to everyone but shows some great future potential. Currently hundreds of members are signed on and regularly train and do battle with their browser-based Halo avatar. Bored at work? Give it a look.

We always have mixed feelings about sharing fanmade renditions of Nintendo IPs with readers. On the one hand, it would be a shame if things this awesome were kept hush hush, but on the other hand, should the buzz get too loud we know Nintendo won't hesitate to squash the project. In any case, since SR388's creator Von Richter is promoting the digg link, we're going to absolve ourselves from such moral dilemmas and spread the love.

The trailer makes this game look like a 2D Metroid reimagining rather than a remake based on any particular title, although some sprites (like Samus's) were clearly ripped. Between the music, original enemies, and intriguing new weapons and abilities, this fanmake has us licking our lips in anticipation. Hopefully we'll get to try it out before Nintendo comes knocking with a cease and desist, should that happen.

Fortunately, progress on the game seems to be going quickly. According to Von Richter himself, this trailer (which was released at the end of April) is already out of date.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2dfanmademetroidmetroid-sr388sr388von-richterMon, 05 May 2008 20:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/fan-remake-of-metroid-ii-is-not-only-awesome-but-also-playable/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/fan-remake-of-metroid-ii-is-not-only-awesome-but-also-playable/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/20/fan-remake-of-metroid-ii-is-not-only-awesome-but-also-playable/#commentsWe love fans. Not only because we are fans and we're completely narcissistic, but because they always come up with some of the coolest things.

Take, for example, this remake of Metroid II: Return of Samus for the original Game Boy. It may be nothing new for a fan to recreate an oldschool game, but this is one of the best we've seen. DoctorM64 not only did a great job with the sprites, but also tweaked the level design a bit so that the game flows more smoothly.

If you want to try this remake for yourself, it's only a click away. Keeping in mind that this is only a tech demo and not the completed version, we're sure that you'll be even more impressed. Also, you can check out DoctorM64's blog to get a feel for the creation process.

Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out.

You don't have to try too hard to find similarities between the Nintendo DS Lite and Apple's Macbook Air -- they're both sleek, attractive devices, curves at every corner. Also, both of their designs place a heavy emphasis on their portability. And, most importantly, they both fit in an envelope!

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>airapplecommercialenvelopefanmademacbook-airmarie-clairepromotional-considerationpromotionalconsiderationspoofSun, 17 Feb 2008 14:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/01/contra-movie-coming-to-alternate-universe-theaters-in-1988/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/01/contra-movie-coming-to-alternate-universe-theaters-in-1988/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/01/contra-movie-coming-to-alternate-universe-theaters-in-1988/#commentsIf you haven't clicked the Play button on the video yet, go ahead and take care of that -- whatever we've written underneath the embedded movie cannot even begin to match its excellence. Team Awesome, the same group that put together the fictitious Punch-Out!! trailer for Nintendo's Short Cuts Showcase contest, created this ultra-macho masterpiece as an homage to Contra. The production parodies not only the original NES game, but 80s action films like Predator, Aliens, Rambo: First Blood, and other indisputable classics. Pretty much, if it was rad and from the 80s, then it's somewhere in this trailer.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>80scontrafanmademovieteam-awesometrailerThu, 01 Nov 2007 19:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/04/zelda-week-the-art-of-jainai-jeffries/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/04/zelda-week-the-art-of-jainai-jeffries/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/04/zelda-week-the-art-of-jainai-jeffries/#comments
So long as we're spending a whole week assailing you with links about Link, we thought we'd share with you one of the best fan-made art pieces we've seen for the green-capped adventurer. Jainai Jeffries created this amazing realistic envisioning of Link last year, posing him on a tree porcupined with red-fletched arrows. Past the post break, you can check out an uncolored version of the above image and several other video game reinterpretations Jainai has illustrated.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>artfanmadejainai-jeffriesmariomega-manmegamanrockmansonicsuper-mario-broszeldazelda-weekThu, 04 Oct 2007 17:50:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/29/friday-video-curiouser-and-curiouser/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/29/friday-video-curiouser-and-curiouser/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/29/friday-video-curiouser-and-curiouser/#commentsSelecting a video for this week's spotlight was somewhat difficult ... because we managed to stumble across some of the weirdest videos we've seen in a while. Take a moment to think about the magnitude of that statement. Around here, we spend all day immersed in the fruits of Miyamoto's brain (and other Nintendo goodness), and yet these videos were extra weird.

Hit the jump for the full array. And yes, we know there are even weirder videos out there. Please don't supply links; we're not sure our bruised brains could take it just now!

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brain age 2BrainAge2dr. marioDr.Mariodreams come trueDreamsComeTruefanmadeffvfridayfunnyobservation trainingObservationTraipop starPopStarvideoweirdFri, 29 Jun 2007 18:35:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/06/wii-warm-up-short-cuts/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/06/wii-warm-up-short-cuts/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/06/wii-warm-up-short-cuts/#comments
We've been talking a lot lately about Nintendo's Short Cuts Showcase, because entries are poppingout all over. We were just curious -- did any of you enter the contest? Maybe someone you know did? We'd love to hear about the stories behind some of the videos we're starting to see. For those of you who are only watching the contest unfold, like we are, what do you think so far?